


Puff the Magic Dragon (or wow those pain meds are good!)

by Cuthwyn



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Gen, Jason being a good brother, Kids put slip-proof mats in the shower!, The eldest Batboys have an adventure in the ER
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-07 17:11:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10365537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cuthwyn/pseuds/Cuthwyn
Summary: Dick and Jason have a fun filled night.As long as fun filled means, broken bones, hospitals and pain meds. All while trying hard not to kill one another.Along the way Jason stumbles over a long forgotten memory regarding his big brother and Puff the Magic Dragon.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Basically written to and from Birmingham MCM. It distracted from hurting feet crammed in pointe shoes!
> 
> I took insiprataion from Big Bang Theory but meh.

Stomping along down the rather disgusting hallway, Jason paused at Dicks apartment door and knocked. Looking around again, he wondered why his brother moved to such a squalid building when he had Daddy Dearest's billions at his disposal. Kicking at an abandoned rubbish bag that seemed to be full of needles and something foul and slimy, Jason knocked on the door again.  
'Come in!'  
Frowning Jason, raised an eyebrow at the door. Everyone always told him off for not answering the door. Apparently it wasn't socially acceptable to just holler from the couch a few metres away, but now his brother was doing just that.  
So he knocked on the door again.  
'I said come in!'  
'You have to answer the door? You're being rude!' Jason yelled back through the wood, pressing his ear against it to listen for his brother's approaching footsteps.  
'Not you!'  
Dick sounded like he was highly distressed by his presence and the moron still was no where near the door. Growling, Jason gave the door a hefty kick.  
'Well, I'm all you got. You sent a distress call not a specific invitation?'  
He gave the door another kick to prove his point.  
'Fine. Just stop kicking my door. It's open!'

Jason's scowl deepened and he tried the door, feeling the lock give when he turned the handle. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into his brother's apartment, suddenly wishing he was back in the dirty hallway. Dick's living room was its usual chaotic mess that made Jason's head hurt. Peering through the darkness, he noticed that Dick wasn't sat on the couch.  
'Where are you?' Jason bellowed, he began collecting the dirty laundry scattered around and put it in a pile.  
'In the bathroom. Come quickly!'  
Straightening up, Jason looked from the front door to the where Dick had shouted from and made his way slowly over.  
'You are in the bathroom with the front door unlocked?'  
Sighing, Jason picked his way through what had to be his brother's bedroom to stop outside, what he assumed to be, the bathroom. 'I suppose murderers are more likely to kill themselves trying to make it through the mess. I'm starting to understand your way of living.'  
'Urgh, for Gods sake. Can't Roy come?'  
'What's wrong with me?'  
There was a very tense silence and Jason rolled his eyes. Right, he was the crazy guy.  
'Look, everyone else is busy. Come out and talk to me Dick! What's the distress call about?'  
'I-I can't. Jay just stop acting like a tool and get in here!' Dick snapped, and Jason rolled his eyes.  
'Alright, alright don't get your panties in a - fucking hell!'  
Stepping onto the Lino, Jason caught one look at his brother and stumbled back with a hand over his eyes.  
'You're naked!'

Dick winced and tried not to openly sob from where he lay sprawled at the bottom on the tub, spray from the shower hammering down him and quickly getting cold.  
'Yes. I fell over in the shower and I think I've broken my arm. Please, can you turn the water off and help me up? Jesus wept, Jay it's a penis, you have one, just get over here.'  
Lowering his hand, Jason nodded and trotted over to switch the water off, eyes scanning the scene before him. Reaching back, he collected a towel and dropped it over his brother's crotch as if frightened it would bite him.  
'Well, it's pretty obvious you slipped.'  
'What?'  
Frowning, Dick looked up at his little brother in complete bemusement. Jason responded with a very serious look and glanced down at the bath again.  
'You don't have a slip-proof mat. That's not safe Dickie! I thought the Old Man would have taught you about friction? You should get a mat or um, Roy bought me some slip-proof patches for my birthday. They stick on the bottom like a mat and actually do a good job. Smiley faces.'

'What?'  
Dick tried to battle through pain and confusion to try and work out what the hell his brother was rambling on about this time. Jason blinked and gave him a baffled pout.  
'The slip-proof patches? They are smiley faces? I was saying you should get a slip-proof mat. Otherwise your risking your life every time you shower. Just be glad you didn't break your neck.'  
'Little Wing? Light of my life? I don't care about mats right now. Right now, I really need you to help.' Dick pleaded.  
Nodding, Jason frowned again and bent over to help manoeuvre his brother so he was sat on the edge, making sure the towel stayed in place.  
'I'll go get you a non-slip mat.'  
Shaking his head, Dick tried, he really tried not to get frustrated with his little brother, he was trying to help him, just in his own kind of way.  
'No. No. Jason I need you to listen to me okay?'  
Jason nodded and moved to crouch down in front of Dick, eyes wide and searching.  
'Yeah, okay.'  
Swallowing, Dick smiled and ruffled Jason's hair with his good hand.  
'Little Wing, my arms broken.'  
Jason nodded along for a moment, before gasping and running his hands along, Dick's broken arm. A small whine of distress escaped and quite predictably, his bottom lip disappeared inside his mouth. Huffing through a wave of pain, Dick reached out to clutch his brother's hand and smiled reassuringly.  
'It was an accident. I've had worse. Just help me get dressed. Okay?'  
Wide, teal eyes lifted to his and Jason nodded before stomping back out into the bedroom.  
'Come on then Dickie.'

Wincing, Dick cradled his arm and walked slowly into his bedroom to find Jason in front of his open closest.  
'I can't do this.' Jason muttered, eyes widening at the unorganised array of colours and clothing that greeted him. Even the draws were a jumbled mess of unfolded items that didn't go together. There was no order whatsoever and if his brother wasn't currently injured, he'd be out of there with a resounding 'nope!'  
'What do you mean? Just grab me some clothes, Jay. Any will do.' Dick groused, sitting down gingerly on his bed to watch his brother shake his head and spin around frantically.  
'What clothes Dick? How many clothes do you own? There's clothes in the closet, in the draws, on the floor, in the living room. How am I meant to pick anything? There's no rhyme or reason to any of this, this madhouse!'  
Dick took a deep, calming breath and somehow managed not to ask if Jason actually knew what having rhyme or reason felt like.  
'It's okay. Just grab boxers and socks from the top draw. Then throw me those jeans and that shirt.'  
He thought he was being helpful but Jason looked horrified.  
'That shirt, with those jeans? Are you blind?'  
'Urgh fine. That shirt then.' Dick grumped and Jason just gave him a very calculating look.  
'Hmm. I think we oughta check you out for concussion. That is not an outfit Goldie, that's a disaster.'  
'For God's sake Jason! My arm is broken! I'd wear a damn bin bag if it meant I could get help quicker.' Dick snapped, guilt twisting in his stomach when Jason nodded and turned back to the closest, sucking on his lip again. 'Little Wing, I understand this is hard okay? Just please, try to fight through it and just help me, yeah?'  
'I'm trying.' Jason grumbled, before finally pulling out a black shirt and a pair of blue jeans followed by boxer shorts and socks. 'You're not making this easy. Where the hell is your towel Dick!'

Looking down at his naked body, Dick tried to shrug before shouting in pain. Within moments, Jason was clucking over his arm like a mother hen.  
'Don't do that Dickface! It's just, seeing Little Dick ain't exactly on the okay list of things brothers do.'  
'It's not little.' Dick smirked, peering up at Jason through his eyelashes.  
'Urgh.' Screwing up his nose in disgust, Jason placed the pile of clothes next to his brother in a huff. 'Do you have any decorum?'  
'Not a Mr Darcy like you I'm afraid.' Dick teased, successfully managing to put on his socks with little help.  
Shaking his head, Jason turned around to give his brother privacy and began actually arranging Dick's underwear draw.  
'I am nothing like Mr Darcy. Have you ever read the book, Dickie?'  
'Nop- argh!'  
Turning sharply, Jason spotted Dick doubled over in pain, boxer shorts looped pathetically around one ankle.  
'Um, you okay? Dickie?'  
'I can't. Help?'  
Nodding along, Jason moved to help like he'd been asked, the need to soothe his brother's pain burning in his limbs but a contradictory cold rush of fear swept through him.  
'You're naked.'  
'I know, Little Wing.' Dick ground out through gritted teeth, lifting pleading eyes to meet his. 'Please?'

Swallowing thickly, Jason didn't respond verbally. The carpet was soft, cushioning his knees as he knelt in front of Dick. He liked kneeling down on carpet, it didn't bruise like a wooden floor or the unforgiving concrete of the street.  
He didn't like this.  
With trembling hands, Jason reached for the boxer shorts and went to manoeuvre Dick's foot into the leg hole. A hand rested on his head when Dick tried to balance.  
Gasping, Jason pulled away, eyes tightly closed.  
'Don't touch me!'  
'Little Wing?'  
Opening reluctant eyes, Jason felt a pang of guilt when he saw Dick's pained and confused expression. No wonder his brother hadn't wanted him to come.  
'I- I'm sorry. I um, I'll go find someone competent to help you Dickie.'  
He moved to stand up and call someone, anyone, hell he'd even call the nurse from Arkham to come help his brother. Actually, the nurse would be a good idea. Nurses knew all about broken bones, well, he assumed they did? Jason froze when a hand squeezed his shoulder.  
'No. No, Jay, you're doing a swell job, okay? I promise not to touch your hair again. I'm sorry. Is this safe?'

Glancing up at Dick's kind smile, Jason tested the weight of the hand on his shoulder.  
Without a word, Jason nodded and ducked back down to pulled the boxer shorts up.  
'I swear to God if Little Dick becomes Big Dick and pokes me in the eye? I'm biting it off.'  
Chuckling, Dick moved his hand to help Jason settle the waistband on his hips.  
'Ha! You can try, Little Wing but I don't think you'd get your mouth around it. It's pretty big.'  
The conversation was woefully inappropriate but Dick could tell by the strain in Jason's face that he was finding this difficult; so if highly sexualised conversation helped him, then Dick was a willing volunteer.  
'Pah, wouldn't you like to know! Sorry Dude, that ain't on the okay list of things brothers do.'  
Pouting in mock disappointment, Dick helped Jason as much as he could as he dressed him and gave another chuckle. Little Wing was good at distracting him from the pain.  
'You don't actually have an okay list for things brothers do, do you?'  
Nodding, Jason fastened Dick's belt and moved to help manoeuvre the broken arm through the arm hole of the shirt.  
'I like lists.'  
Moments later, Jason stepped back to look at his fully dressed brother and nodded in approval. Dick grimaced a smile and inclined his head in gratitude.

'Right erm, you got stuff to fix that?'  
Looking up at Jason's hopeful gaze, Dick shook his head and ducked his chin into his chest in shame.  
'No. Haven't moved my Nightwing stuff to Gotham yet. I need you to take me to the hospital, Jay.'  
Naturally, Jason's eyes shot wide open.  
'No! I- I have a safe house not far from here. We can set the arm there.'  
'Jason, no. We can't set broken bones. We're not Alfred, and like hell I can go to the Cave after falling in the damn shower? I need an X-ray, even more importantly, I need some painkillers.' Pausing, Dick gave his little brother a very knowing look. 'I'm guessing you have none.'  
Jason looked like he was approaching a panic attack. Shaking his head, he looked at the door again before his eyes lit up.  
'I got some Diazepam? That would work!'  
'Wrong type of painkillers, Little Wing.' Dick chided softly. 'Please, I need you to take me to hospital. I'm hurting Jay!'

Mentioning his pain seemed to help Jason fight through his panic and he nodded stiffly. Tugging Dick up to his feet, he carefully guided his brother out of the bedroom with a very determined expression.  
'Okay. Okay we can do this. Team, yeah?'  
'Yeah, Little Wing. We're a team.' Dick smiled, leaning into his brother. 'My keys are on the sideboard.'  
Yet again, Jason froze and shot him a fearful, bewildered look.  
'You- you want me to drive? A car!'  
'Well, I can hardly ride on your bike or drive there myself, so yes!'  
'No!' Shaking his head, Jason frowned in thought. 'Ambulance! I'll call you an ambulance or, or a taxi?'  
Clutching his throbbing arm, Dick bit his tongue in an attempt not to shout at his brother in sheer frustration. Every single, little, step was met with protests and negotiations. How on earth did Jason manage to convince himself to do anything? How was Roy not rocking in a corner after planning a trip to the damn shops? To live life like this must be exhausting. No wonder Jason constantly had dark circles under his eyes.  
'That's not quick enough. Please, Little Wing. I'm tired and I'm in so much pain. Please, can you just take me? You know you can drive a car.'  
There was a moments silence. Dick fighting to keep his temper in check, while Jason just blinked back at him blankly.  
'Okay.' Jason suddenly spoke and Dick was smiling brightly and skipping out of the door before his brother could talk himself out of it. Collecting the foreboding car keys, Jason shook his head at them in dismay.  
'Sure, having non-slip mats in the shower is crazy talk but we can all die in a ball of fire?' 

Dick had ridden on calmer rollercoasters. Stumbling through the entrance of the the Emergency Room, he shot a frazzled look over at Jason who was lingering by the door.  
'Who the hell taught you to drive?' He hissed, just daring Jason to pull another protest about walking into Gotham General. Shrugging, Jason tucked the car keys into his pocket and jogged up to his older brother's side, his cheeks flushing bright pink.  
'No one? I was kinda busy at 15, down under! Did B ever tell you about when I first came back? The little incident at Ace Chemicals? I didn't crash into that vat on purpose. I tried to stop in front of the doors but forgot which one was the break.'  
Dick tried not to openly weep and resorted to just nodding feebly.  
'Ah, that- that explains a lot. Like the parking lot!'  
'For the last time Dickie, that lamp post was already knocked over!' Jason spat, just as they approached the front desk, causing the receptionist to arch an eyebrow. Turning to her, he threw his arms out in frustration. 'I swear I didn't hit the lamppost! I didn't wanna drive anyway! This dumb Dickhead broke his dumb arm and made me drive here.'

'Riiight.' The receptionist said with an almost bored expression. 'So what we in for boys? The broken arm or the run over lamppost?'  
'Oh for the love of-' Storming off in a huff, Jason stropped over to the waiting room and sat down with a 'humphf.'  
'The arm. Please.' Dick informed her with a pained smile.  
Humming, the receptionist handed over a form, eyeing up his injured arm as she did so.  
'You get in a fight?'  
Laughing nervously, Dick threw her his winning smile and shook his head.  
'What me? No, no, wouldn't say boo to a goose! I fell over in the shower.'  
The receptionist raised a disbelieving eyebrow.  
'No! No, seriously? I fell over in the shower, for real.'  
'Don't you have a slip-proof mat?'  
'Oh for the love of-' Snatching the form and pen, Dick grumped over to sit down next to Jason in the waiting room. Only Jason was not sat down any more. Instead, his darling little brother was peering around the corner suspiciously.

'Jay? What are you doing? Sit down!' Dick demanded with a hushed tone. Glancing in his brother's direction, Jason went back to keeping watch for, well, whatever Jason was keeping watch for.  
'Dunna worry. Fill in the form Dickie, I got ya back.'  
'Got my- Jesus! Jay what are you doing?' Placing down the form, Dick got up to stand by his brother.  
'Don't blaspheme!'  
'We're not in church, Moron? You curse all the time, like calling me a dickhead!'  
'That's because it's your name, Dickhead.' Jason mumbled, totally focused on whatever he was looking at down the hall. Cradling his arm, Dick craned his head to to try and figure out what was making Jason so anxious but coming up with nothing.  
'Okay, I give up. What're you looking at?'  
Swallowing thickly, Jason cocked his head down the corridor and spoke softly like they did on stake outs.  
'Just keep watching that door. The nurses go in and out all the time, sometimes the doctors too. Sometimes they rush in, sometimes they seem to have some sorta meeting before leaving again. They're plotting. They know I'm here.'  
'Oh?'  
Dick narrowed his eyes and made a show of watching the door Jason had indicated.  
'When they go in? Do they leave with syringes, bandages and stuff?'  
'Yes?'  
Turning back to look at his brother Dick cocked an eyebrow.  
'Have you thought that maybe it's the stock cupboard? We've talked about this Jason. Multiple times.'  
Jason frowned and looked back at the door again, clearly mistaking Dick's words to mean right now, not the umpteen million times he had been convinced healthcare workers were plotting against him.

'The cleaning lady is watching me. She must be in on it too!'  
'Or, she's wondering why your staring at the stock cupboard and has you pegged as a Junkie.' Dick suggested, tugging on his brother's sleeve to try and get him to move. 'Come on Jay, sit back down before that nice security guard decides have a little chat with the crazy guy!'  
'No.'  
Sighing, Dick glanced back at the form on his chair and doubled over with a pained wince.  
'Ow, ow, Little Wing! Help! Ow, ow, ow.'  
'Dickie! Dickie what's wrong? Is it your arm? I'll go get someone!'  
Stock cupboard suddenly forgotten, Jason stood on his tippy toes to try and flag down a nurse or a doctor or a doctory nurse person who might know what to do. Shaking his head, Dick clutched hold of Jason's sleeve again and tugged hard to gain his brother's attention.  
'No, I'm okay Little Wing, it just hurts standing here. Please, come and sit down with me? I need someone to fill in the form for me.'  
Carefully, Jason placed his arm around Dick's shoulders and guided him gently back over to the chair, the way he nodded furiously, giving away just how anxious he was.  
'Okay, it's gonna be okay Dickie. I got ya. Just sit down, yeah? Stop wandering around all over the place like a loon.'  
Dick had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from pointing out that that was exactly what Jason was doing and instead handed over the form.

Jason sat in the chair with a very professional air now that he had a form to fill in. He clicked open the pen with more motivation than Dick thought he was even capable of.  
'Okay then, name?'  
'Really Jay?'  
Jason looked up over the top of the clipboard like a principal being back chatted by a mouthy student.  
'Name!'  
'Richard John Grayson. What the hell do you think?'  
'Don't blaspheme. Age?'  
'We're not in a church.'  
'Age!'  
Sighing, Dick hung his head in abject defeat. This was going to be the longest form he had ever had to fill out in his life.

He was right. The seconds ticked by like hours, but finally, they seemed to be reaching the tail end of the admission form.  
'Allergies?'  
'No.'  
'Migraines?'  
'Nope'  
'Medications?'  
'Nope. Jay, none of this has anything to do with my broken arm?'  
Sighing, Jason lowered the clipboard, his expression that of a very tired parent whose child wouldn't eat their carrots at dinner.  
'Dickie. How can you expect the doctors and nurses to give you holistic care if they don't have a detailed and concise history?'  
'I just want my arm fixed not to have my entire life revamped!' Dick shot back through gritted teeth. His arm was throbbing and how Jason could be so suspicious of medical professionals and then be so adamant that they had to fill the form in properly, was beyond him. The logic was lost in the world of Jason, where to be quite frank, logic sometimes called in at a bar and woke up the next morning in someone else's clothes and a new tattoo.

'You're being difficult Richard!' Jason scolded, sounding the exact double of Bruce, but Dick already had one broken arm so kept mom and rolled his eyes.  
'Do you have a history of substance misuse?'  
'No.'  
'Alcohol.'  
'What! Why have you put that down!' Dick demanded, spinning in his chair to look at his brother, completely and utterly flabbergasted. Jason just blinked back blankly.  
'Really Dickie? You want to have this conversation here? Let's just go with your a male Wayne of drinking age, you were always predisposed to it.'  
'Jason remove that right now!'  
'No. You have to tell the truth on the form. It's the rules.'  
'Rules!'  
Shaking his head, Dick sighed and decided to let it drop before they started rowing in the ER. He could always scribble it out himself when he handed it back to reception.  
'History of mental illness?'  
'No.'  
Closing his eyes, Dick could feel Jason's heavy glare over the clipboard he would soon be wearing if Dick had two working arms.  
'What? What now?'  
'You have to tell the truth, Dickie.'  
'Well if you already know the damn answer, why are you asking me? Huh!'  
'It's your form, not mine. See? Your name is on the top. And don't blaspheme.'  
Leaning his head back against the cool wall, Dick groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose with his good hand.  
'I changed my mind about the migraine. Make it a yes.'

Jason was pretty okay with Dick going away with the triage nurse. He sat and waited patiently while Dick was seen and even smiled and waved when Dick sat back down, a little pink slip held in his hand.  
'What's that?'  
'Gotta hand it in to X-ray apparently. They think I've broken my arm. Talk about a plot twist.' Dick explained with a slight chuckle. He let Jason take the slip out of his hand and examine it. He watched his brother slip it into his jacket pocket but said nothing. If Jason needed to read his X-ray slip and keep it to feel in control, then Dick was pretty okay with that.  
'They give you anything for the pain?'  
'Paracetamol.'  
'What! You've gotta be kidding? Wait here, I'll go and make them give you something stronger.' Jason balked, standing up, only to be pulled roughly back down onto the seat.  
'Leave it be, Little Wing. Okay? I'm okay, see? I'm going for an X-ray, then they'll fix me up, and then we can go home, yeah?'  
'Yeah.' Jason relented, some what reluctantly.

A few hours later, Jason practically carried Dick in through his apartment door. The idiot was as high as a freaking kite and if he'd disclosed how much of a light weight he was, Jason would have made him stick to Paracetamol.  
''Ome sweet 'ome!' Dick sang out, swinging his newly plastered arm around dramatically. Hissing when said hard plaster caught him on the head, Jason began an awkward waltz towards his brother's bedroom.  
'That's right Big Bird. Let's get you tucked up in bed.'  
'Big Bird! You not call me dat since we were kids!'  
Dick looked so heartbreakingly pleased by the use of his old nickname. Jason dropped him unceremoniously on the bed in response. Dick just lay where he fell and grinned up at him, reminding Jason very much of Dopey from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Shaking his head at the fluttering in his chest, Jason knelt down and unlaced Dick's trainers before removing those and the jeans so Dick would be more comfortable. Standing up, he roughly tugged the blankets from beneath his brother and covered him with them.

'There. Now go to sleep Dickie.'  
'I wuv you Ickle Wing, so so much.'  
'Go to sleep.'  
'Can I has a goodnight kiss?'  
'Go to sleep Dick.'  
'Hug?'  
'Richard. Go. To. Sleep!' Jason spat in frustration, glaring back at his brother's puppy dog eyes.  
'Buts I gets lonely?'  
'My heart bleeds. Go to sleep.'  
Pouting, Dick snuggled back into his pillows and sniffled. The puppy dog eyes had turned into looking like an actual puppy that had been kicked and left outside in the rain.  
'Sing for me?' Came a quiet plea and Jason leant closer, not quite sure he had heard that right. 'Sing for me. Like whens we kids? I could love you then.'  
Jason froze.  
Blinking, he looked down at his stupid ass brother and contemplated just walking out like he'd planed. Jason kicked off his boots and hung his jacket over the dresser, before joining an ecstatic Dick on the bed, who immediately reached for him.

'Hug me and the deals off!' Jason scolded, settling himself against the headboard, he watched Dick pout again before settling down ready to go to sleep. Such a child.  
'Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honahlee.  
Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff, and brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff.' Jason began to sing in his low, scratchy drawl. Dick gasped and smiled groggily up at his little brother, reaching his hand out for him, but unlike when they were kids, Jason didn't take it.  
He carried on singing his song about Jackie and Puff the magic dragon visiting noble kings and princes, pirate ships lowering heir flags when they heard Puff's mighty roar. Roy had teased him once when he caught him singing it, telling him it was a song about drugs. Jason had walked out of the room. Singing the melody softly, Jason watched with a fondness in his eyes, as Dick slowly drifted off to sleep, that goofy smile still on his face. Dick was right, he had sung to his brother when they were kids. On those odd nights when Dick came home and the boys found themselves snuggled up in Dick's bed. Jason had never, ever been barred from Dick's bed. The rest of his siblings gravitated towards Bruce's bed when they were frightened and alone, Jason had been the one who climbed into Dick's, even when his brother wasn't home or actually already in Bruce's bed. All those years ago. Dick would hold his hand and Jason would always sing Puff the Magic Dragon when Dick asked for a song. 

No, Puff the Magic Dragon wasn't about drugs, it was about growing up, a loss of childhood innocence. Despite the life he lead, Dick always had a childlike charm about him. Unbeknown to his big brother, Jason sang the song as a silent wish, a spell almost that the world would never steal that away from his brother, like it had him. So far, it had worked.  
Closing his eyes, Jason found himself laying down next to Dick, he felt smaller, younger. Almost as if he were to open his eyes he'd see flannel pyjamas and knobbly knees he thought he'd never grow into.  
'A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys. Painted wings and giant's rings make way for other toys. One grey night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more, and Puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar.'  
Jason's hand slipped into Dick's and he squeezed tightly. Tears prickled in his eyes as he looked across at his brother.

'His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain, Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane. Without his life long friend, Puff could not be brave. So Puff that might dragon sadly slipped into his cave.'  
Dick's hand squeezed back.  
'Puff the magic dragon, lived by the sea' Dick sang groggily, not opening his eyes but inching closer to Jason. Jason let him. Leaning his head against his brother's shoulder, Jason hoped Dick was too drugged up to feel the wetness there as he stumbled through the last part of the song. Dick singing along in a way that, even when half asleep, sounded like someone strangling a cat. Jason didn't care.  
'Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honahlee. Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honahlee.'

In the morning, Jason was gone.


End file.
